A 70-year-old man in Saudi Arabia is disputing claims his new bride is 15 years old, and says her family has ripped him off for the large dowry he paid for the union.
Human rights workers say the bride is a teenager and are outraged about the situation.
CNN interviewed the man Tuesday, who said he paid a dowry to the girl’s parents for the equivalent of $20,000. The marriage came to light when the man complained to a local official after his new wife left him, saying the girl’s family had taken her back and he’d been ripped off. He also claimed that he thought she was 25 years old.
He refused to provide his name to CNN.
“She is not 15 as everybody claims,” he said. “She’s 25 years old and she’s mature enough to make her own decisions… I was fooled by the girl’s family.”
In Saudi Arabia, there is no law that stipulates a minimum age for marriage.
Human rights workers say they believe there was a fight between the teen and the man, and she ran back to her family.
Her father is believed to be Yemeni, her mother Saudi, the rights workers told CNN.